


Balancing Act

by onereyofstarlight



Series: IRRelief 2020 Prompts [3]
Category: Thunderbirds
Genre: Family Feels, Hurt/Comfort, Kid Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-06-03
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:02:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24144061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onereyofstarlight/pseuds/onereyofstarlight
Summary: Scott has been given a slackline for his birthday and decides to show off for his younger brothers a little.
Series: IRRelief 2020 Prompts [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1742284
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	Balancing Act

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [@tsarinatorment's](tsarinatorment.tumblr.com) prompt "Teenage Scott getting a insignificant wound and any younger brother(s) jumping at the chance to play doctor".
> 
> For the IRRelief Challenge organised by @Gumnut.

“Should you have moved it up so high?” asked Virgil, as he checked over the ratchet holding the slackline in place one last time.

Scott scoffed as he climbed on a chair at the other end of the line.

“It’ll be fine, Virg, it’s barely four feet off the ground. You saw how easy it was, even Alan could do it.”

“Yeah, when it was six inches off the ground and you held him by the armpit the entire time.”

“Fine, Gordon then.”

Virgil shook his head and stepped back, remembering the guideline that Gordon had held tightly to as he’d walked the length of slackline between the two trees. Scott had taken it down as soon as their younger brothers had lost interest in the new birthday present and wandered inside in search for more cake. The two were now left alone, daring each other to move the line higher and higher with each successful balancing trick.

Scott took a deep breath and placed his foot firmly on the line. His leg wobbled violently, his body unable to stop the instinctive over corrections as it tried to find its centre of gravity. In a smooth, practiced motion, Scott shifted his weight to his shaking leg and stood as quickly as he could, flinging his arms out on either side. The chair was now far below him.

He didn’t dare look down at the ground.

One breath. Two. Tension mounted as the elastic bearing his weight skated beneath his hips.

Three breaths and he let it go, falling back to the safety of the chair.

“What was that?” scoffed Virgil, his arms folded across his chest. “That was barely a second.”

“It was at least five,” said Scott. He gritted his teeth, glaring at the slackline.

Another deep breath and he tried again.

The fabric was rough beneath his feet, drawing him down in a connection that linked him to every shift in the slackline’s position. He could feel his muscles working together correctly, knew that this time he would stabilise his balance.

His grin widened. He would stay mounted.

Below him, he could hear Virgil’s quiet encouragement.

Scott stared ahead at the tree trunk only fifteen feet in front of him, eyes gleaming. He’d done this before. Twenty steps. That’s all it would take.

He swung his left leg forward, carefully feeling for the right position before moving his weight forwards. He paid no mind to the jostling beneath his feet, allowing his knees and hips to absorb the motion and redirect it.

Feel. Steady. Shift. Let go. Repeat.

The movements were becoming more natural and Scott grinned as the bouncing line propelled him forwards, no longer an obstacle to overcome.

“Go Scott!”

Gordon was jumping up and down by the kitchen door, John and Alan watching with bright eyes and wide grins next to him.

Scott stumbled, just barely catching his balance as his front foot skidded from its mark. He tried to shift his weight back over the line, only for it to move in the opposite direction in a maddening game of chase.

“You can do it!”

He breathed in deep, trying to lift his gaze from the shaking elastic that was now reverberating through his entire body as his joints locked up.

Four feet up was a lot higher when looking down from nearly six feet of extra height.

He was getting dizzy watching his feet swaying back and forth. He leaned forward, bringing his free leg back to the slickline and took another step.

The cheers of his younger brothers distracted him for the barest millisecond, his eyes flitting downwards as he lost sight of the anchor steadying him.

A millisecond was all it took.

His foot slipped. His stomach dropped. The line snapped up and Scott yelped at the sharp slap against his thigh, while pulling his arms up to protect his head as he fell.

A resounding thud and dull aching pain, pulsing from every inch of his right side.

Scott’s groans mixed with a cacophony of sound that erupted the moment the world had turned sideways.

A faint ringing in his ears wasn’t enough to drown out Gordon, putting his lungs to good use for a change, or the high, nervous chatter of his other brothers surrounding him.

“Scott, look at me!”

Virgil held his shoulders still, looking worriedly into his eyes. Scott could almost hear the first aid checklist they’d been taught in Scouts running through his brother’s mind.

“I’m fine,” he said, moving to sit up. Virgil held him down.

“Did you hit your head at all?”

“No.”

“Any sharp or shooting pains?”

“None.”

“What hurts the most?”

Automatically, he moved his hand to his right hip and leg which had taken the brunt of the fall. Above him, he could feel Virgil relax.

“Okay, you’ll be fine.”

“Thanks for the prognosis, doc.”

He accepted the proffered hand and stood slowly, gingerly extending the injured limb. Virgil waited patiently and they walked together, Scott leaning heavily on his brother’s shoulder as he hobbled up the steps that lead to the small deck.

“That was some fall,” said John, fumbling with the child-proof gate. “Alan, _no_.”

Alan had torn his little hand from John’s and toddled forwards and grabbed Scott, clinging to his injured leg.

“Ow, Alan, let go,” said Scott with a grunt, collapsing onto the nearest bench.

“Owie?”

“ _Yes_ Alan, owie.”

Gently, John pulled Alan away.

“Scott’s hurt, Allie,” said Virgil, crouching down next to their baby brother. “He got an owie, but he’ll be okay soon.”

Alan’s large eyes flitted between Virgil and Scott. He looked uncertain, his small face scrunched up as he looked closely at the exposed knee, a purplish colour growing steadily across it.

“I fix owies,” he said proudly.

John and Virgil exchanged amused looks.

“Are you a doctor, Allie?”

“Yes,” said Alan, nodding vigorously. “Doc fix owies.”

“How does the doctor fix an owie then?”

“Look!”

Alan leaned forward and gently kissed the bruise. He patted it carefully and looked up at Scott beaming.

“All better!”

Scott laughed and picked him up, bouncing him up and down with his uninjured leg.

“All better,” he agreed. “Doctor Alan fixed me up.”

“Scott?! Gordon said you fell? Are you alright? Do you need arnica?”

Scott looked sheepishly up at the worried eyes of their mother.

“I’m all good, Mom. Just a tumble.”

“I helped!”

Scott laughed again. “Sure did, squirt. You sure did.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!!
> 
> Cross posted from Tumblr, original posted on 10/05/2020


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